The Reasonably Prudent Law Student

Eid Mubarak! For some, Eid ul Fitr, the first day of the Islamic lunar month of Shawwal which is meant to be a celebration of a month of fasting, was today. For some, like my family, Eid ul Fitr will be tomorrow (Wednesday). Saudi Arabia celebrated today, as did Qatar and Chile. Some in the US and Canada celebrated today, and some will celebrate tomorrow.

There is ALWAYS a dispute every year about when Eid ul Fitr actually is. It causes lots of problems and disagreements, when, really, it shouldn’t. Not at all. Some people celebrate Eid when the new moon is spotted in Saudi Arabia, no matter where they are in the world. Some people celebrate Eid when the new moon is sighted in their area (there is actually a broader area than a normal town, state, etc, that is used in Shariah law to determine moon sightings – for example, if the moon is not seen in Chicago, but is seen in one of the suburbs of Chicago, it’s Eid in Chicago if that suburb falls in the prescribed geographic range according to Shariah law).

Both are technically correct. And yet the issue of the moon sightings creates a bit of a rift in our Muslim communities every single Eid. Muslims are confused about when we’re supposed to celebrate, and non-Muslims are often confused because Christmas, for example, falls on the same day every year, and why can’t those Muslims get their act together and figure out if they’re feasting, or fasting an additional day?

Here’s the bottom line.

A lunar month has either 29 or 30 days. That means in Ramadan, the fasting month, you’re either fasting for 29 or 30 days. That’s where the moon sightings come in: they help us determine whether the month is 29 days, or 30 days. If we’ve been fasting for 29 days and the new moon is spotted, that means that Shawwal has started and that Ramadan lasted only 29 days. If no moon is sighted, that means there will be a full 30 day lunar month, hence, 30 days of fasting.

In any case, no matter what, a lunar month cannot be 31 days. That is, there cannot ever be 31 fasts. If a person is fasting for 31 days in the month of Ramadan, this is completely incorrect, because it means that he is fasting on the first day of Shawwal, aka, Eid, and that is absolutely not supposed to happen. It is not the correct practice Islamically.

So the only wrong Eid is the Eid which follows 31 days of fasting.

Otherwise, celebrating Eid on either Tuesday or Wednesday this year, according to whether there were moon sightings or not, is correct, inshaAllah.

The Hilal Committee was formed to help Muslims in the US and Canada (I think) verify moon sightings. The HC has a chapter in the major cities, like Chicago and New York and Boston and on the West Coast. They have their own people looking for the new moon, and also take calls from people who claim they’ve seen the new moon. Those reports are verified over and over again and when the HC is certain that the new moon has in fact been spotted, they issue the bulletin and it is announced that Eid is the next day.

This year, there were no sightings on the East Coast or the West Coast, so the Chicago Hilal Committee waited until about 10-11PM CST to wait for reports from their West Coast chapters. When the moon wasn’t spotted in San Fran, LA, or San Diego, the Chicago Hilal Committee informed the Midwest that Eid would not be on Tuesday as its other chapters did the same.

But not everyone follows the Chicago Hilal Committee. Based on scientific calculations, and in some cases, the fact that the moon HAD been spotted in Saudi Arabia, the nation where Makkah and Madinah are, some masjids reported that Eid WOULD be on Tuesday.

It sounds really complicated, but it’s not. And it sounds like there’s a right answer and a wrong answer, but there’s not.

It is sunnah (the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (S), which Muslims follow in addition to the Quran) to observe Eid ul Fitr after the new moon has been spotted in one’s area. The shahadah (witnessing) of the new moon marked Eid in the Prophet’s (S) time, and signalled the start of the new month.

However, when scientific calculations about when the new moon actually appears, or the fact that those in Makkah will be celebrating Eid on a certain day conflict with the shahadah of the moon or lack thereof, another Eid day is also suggested. (The two possible days for Eid are always consecutive/successive. It’s never a case of some people celebrating Eid on Monday and some celebrating on Friday. Ever.)

In this case, it should be remembered that it’s also sunnah to follow the customs/ways of the people (Muslims) that you are living among. That is to say, if everyone in your area (or a majority, or a lot, whatever, Allahu Alam) celebrate Eid on a certain day, even if the moon reports conflict, it is still sunnah for you to practice Eid on the day that everyone else is.

The lesson is clear: there is no need to fight among ourselves and our communities about which day is the Right Eid, or to say that those not celebrating with us are celebrating the Wrong Eid (wtf?) or are somehow engaging in bidah (innovation) or practicing Islam incorrectly.

It is correct to observe Eid after the sighting of the new moon, OR on the day that those in your community are observing it, if the two conflict.

Either way, inshaAllah, we’re all covered. And hopefully we can understand that and stop this ridiculous, pointless bickering about the Right Eid and the Wrong Eid, as if those things exist.